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urabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has received an honorary doctorate from Surabaya'€™s Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) in the field of technology, architecture and city development management.

ITS professor commission chairman Joni Hermana said Rismaharini, better known as Risma, transformed Surabaya into a green city with community participation.

'€œRisma motivated the community to build and preserve the city through strong leadership and has proven that she is able to build public trust to drum up participation. She is an inspiration for leaders from other regions,'€ said Joni after the award ceremony at Graha ITS hall in Surabaya on Wednesday.

ITS rector Triyogi Yuwono granted the Honoris Causa title to Risma in a ceremony attended by former coordinating economic minister Chairul Tanjung, former education minister Muhammad Nuh and officials from the government, Indonesian Military (TNI) and police, as well as consuls from the United States, Germany and Japan.

In her speech entitled '€œGreen City in Innovation and Human Dimension'€, Risma said she would continue to focus on environmental aspects to develop Surabaya. '€œNonetheless, priority should be given to human development. I would like to thank the sanitary personnel, who have worked very hard,'€ she said.

Surabaya resident Pujiastuti, 47, of Kenjeran district, applauded Risma'€™s new title, saying that the city had become safe and pleasant ever since an urban park was developed there. She added that her family often visited the fishing settlement in Kenjeran to enjoy its nice atmosphere.

'€œRisma has successfully turned the squalid fishing village into a beautiful area and the city park in Bulak now has a fountain and lots of trees,'€ she said.

Pujiastuti added that residents hoped for swift construction of the Kenjeran bridge to provide access for Kenjeran fishermen and boost the local economy.

According to plan, the landscape around the 780-meter-long and 16-meter-wide Kenjeran bridge, built by state-owned construction firm PT Hutama Karya, will be equipped with a dancing fountain.

The Kenjeran bridge, linking the Kenjeran Beach Recreation Park and Jl. Sukolilo Lor, Sukolilo Baru subdistrict, Bulak district, cost Rp 207 billion (about US$17 million) to build, funds of which were derived from the provincial budget.